Making the decision - X-pro 1 or X-E1?

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dills84
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p.1 #1 · Making the decision - X-pro 1 or X-E1?

Like the title says, I'm looking to buy into the X-mount cameras. I'm REALLY torn by which one of these to get.

What I shoot:
-Street
-Landscape
-Architecture
-Some candid portraits
-Occasional studio use but not often
-Rely heavily on adapted lenses (so the EVF will get a lot of use)

I like the larger size of the X-pro 1, and I like the option of having the OVF even though it would see less use than the EVF.

Can anyone comment on HOW much nicer the EVF in the X-E1 is?

How does the X-E1 build quality compare to the xpro? what about snappiness and menu speed since its newer?

Price difference is negligible at 400 bucks... I really just want the camera that is better for me. If I went with the xpro 1 i'd buy the 35mm and 18mm. If I went with the X-E1 I'd just use the kit 18-55 with the 35mm.

Opinions? this one is a doozy!

Dec 04, 2012 at 04:09 PM

naturephoto1
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p.1 #2 · Making the decision - X-pro 1 or X-E1?

dills84 wrote:
Like the title says, I'm looking to buy into the X-mount cameras. I'm REALLY torn by which one of these to get.

What I shoot:
-Street
-Landscape
-Architecture
-Some candid portraits
-Occasional studio use but not often
-Rely heavily on adapted lenses (so the EVF will get a lot of use)

I like the larger size of the X-pro 1, and I like the option of having the OVF even though it would see less use than the EVF.

Can anyone comment on HOW much nicer the EVF in the X-E1 is?

How does the X-E1 build quality compare to the xpro? what about snappiness and menu speed since its newer?

Price difference is negligible at 400 bucks... I really just want the camera that is better for me. If I went with the xpro 1 i'd buy the 35mm and 18mm. If I went with the X-E1 I'd just use the kit 18-55 with the 35mm.

Opinions? this one is a doozy!

I can certainly understand your quandary. I am in much the same situation debating which camera to get to use with all of my Leica R lenses and shooting nature, landscape, and wildlife. But, with time I may invest in the new Leica M and the Fuji would become my second camera/body.

Rich

Dec 04, 2012 at 04:19 PM

Jochenb
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p.1 #3 · Making the decision - X-pro 1 or X-E1?

I had the same dilemma and I went for the X-E1 in the end.

In your case I would always choose the X-E1 because the EVF is a lot better. It's like looking at an iphone screen. You don't see pixels. Very nice.
I also like the size of the x-pro1 better. That's why I bought the grip for the X-E1.
Overall theX-pro1 feels a littlebit more solid (maybe because it's heavier and larger), but the X-E1 is just fine. The play button on the X-pro1 feels cheap IMHO.
The OVF was the main reason of my dilemma, but I don't miss it. The framing lines are very inaccurate, keep that in mind.
The LCD is larger and better on the X-pro1, but I'm also satisfied with the one on the X-E1.
The menu navigation is snappy on both.

No regrets here.

Dec 04, 2012 at 04:25 PM

dills84
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p.1 #4 · Making the decision - X-pro 1 or X-E1?

Jochenb wrote:
I had the same dilemma and I went for the X-E1 in the end.

In your case I would always choose the X-E1 because the EVF is a lot better. It's like looking at an iphone screen. You don't see pixels. Very nice.
I also like the size of the x-pro1 better. That's why I bought the grip for the X-E1.
Overall theX-pro1 feels a littlebit more solid (maybe because it's heavier and larger), but the X-E1 is just fine. The play button on the X-pro1 feels cheap IMHO.
The OVF was the main reason of my dilemma, but I don't miss it. The framing lines are very inaccurate, keep that in mind.
The LCD is larger and better on the X-pro1, but I'm also satisfied with the one on the X-E1.
The menu navigation is snappy on both.

No regrets here.

Thanks for the info. Hows the EVF work in extremely low light? say taking night pictures by an ocean? Would the OVF be handy in this case?

Dec 04, 2012 at 04:31 PM

apsphoto
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p.1 #5 · Making the decision - X-pro 1 or X-E1?

Well it is a tough decision. I really like my X-Pro 1, what I did was rent it and decide after shooting with it for a few days. That might be a solution. Lensrentals.com rents it and lenses.

Alan

Dec 04, 2012 at 04:32 PM

justruss
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p.1 #6 · Making the decision - X-pro 1 or X-E1?

Owning an XE-1 and having played with the X-Pro and X100... I can say that I'd go with the XE all over again if faced again with the choice (even if the two cameras were identically priced).

Ultimately, the hybrid viewfinder was the only thing the X-Pro had over the XE-1 in my breakdown. But the biggest factor for me was size. The XE handily won in that regard. And the better EVF was the second major factor-- because I have more adapted MF lenses than AF lenses.

The main thing the X100 has that I badly want is the leaf shutter... silent, wildly great for flash.

The XE EVF is excellent in low light. As good or better than the human eye-- aka optical. It's the AF that can't keep up.

Sure, the ideal situation would be an XE-sized body with hybrid viewfinder (which I wouldn't use that much) and a leaf shutter-- AF as good as my 5D2 or better.

Perhaps in a few generations.

Dec 04, 2012 at 05:07 PM

dills84
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p.1 #7 · Making the decision - X-pro 1 or X-E1?

justruss wrote:
Owning an XE-1 and having played with the X-Pro and X100... I can say that I'd go with the XE all over again if faced again with the choice (even if the two cameras were identically priced).

Ultimately, the hybrid viewfinder was the only thing the X-Pro had over the XE-1 in my breakdown. But the biggest factor for me was size. The XE handily won in that regard. And the better EVF was the second major factor-- because I have more adapted MF lenses than AF lenses.

The main thing the X100 has that I badly want is the leaf shutter... silent, wildly great for flash.

The XE EVF is excellent in low light. As good or better than the human eye-- aka optical. It's the AF that can't keep up.

Sure, the ideal situation would be an XE-sized body with hybrid viewfinder (which I wouldn't use that much) and a leaf shutter-- AF as good as my 5D2 or better.

Perhaps in a few generations.

I actually prefer the larger size of the X-Pro 1, just a matter of opinion but I like substantial feeling/balanced cameras.

If you took size/weight out of the factor which camera would you choose without price in mind?

Dec 04, 2012 at 05:11 PM

douglasf13
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p.1 #8 · Making the decision - X-pro 1 or X-E1?

If you use adapted glass and shoot a lot of low to mid ISO, I'd look at a Nex-6. Focus peaking is incredibly useful for manual lenses, and Bayer CFAs still look better in good light. Plus, despite the EVFs being the same, the Sony's has a higher frame rate.

Nex is still the best platform for manual glass, at least until the new Leica M comes out.

As an owner of both Fuji and Nex, I can tell you that the EVF on the X100/X-Pro1 is noticeably worse than the one in the X-E1/Nex-6.

Edited on Dec 04, 2012 at 05:13 PM · View previous versions

Dec 04, 2012 at 05:11 PM

dills84
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p.1 #9 · Making the decision - X-pro 1 or X-E1?

douglasf13 wrote:
If you use adapted glass and shoot a lot of low to mid ISO, I'd look at a Nex-6. Focus peaking is incredibly useful for manual lenses, and Bayer CFAs still look better in good light. Plus, despite the EVFs being the same, the Sony's has a higher frame rate.

As an owner of both Fuji and Nex, I can tell you that the EVF on the X100/X-Pro1 is noticeably worse than the one in the X-E1/Nex-6.

Good to know, however I'm not interested in the NEX line. I'm starting to lean towards the XE knowing the EVF is That much better... hmm!

Dec 04, 2012 at 05:13 PM

douglasf13
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p.1 #10 · Making the decision - X-pro 1 or X-E1?

dills84 wrote:
douglasf13 wrote:
If you use adapted glass and shoot a lot of low to mid ISO, I'd look at a Nex-6. Focus peaking is incredibly useful for manual lenses, and Bayer CFAs still look better in good light. Plus, despite the EVFs being the same, the Sony's has a higher frame rate.

As an owner of both Fuji and Nex, I can tell you that the EVF on the X100/X-Pro1 is noticeably worse than the one in the X-E1/Nex-6.

Good to know, however I'm not interested in the NEX line. I'm starting to lean towards the XE knowing the EVF is That much better... hmm!

Why?? It seems like you're trying to decide between two different model classes of Toyotas, rather than considering the same class of car from both Toyota and Honda.

At this point, I wouldn't even consider buying a mirrorless camera for manual lenses without focus peaking, especially if I was relying heavily on them. Heck, I'd probably pick the Ricoh GXR M-module before the Fujis. Of course, Fuji could change that with a firmware update some day, but until then, no way.

Dec 04, 2012 at 05:18 PM

naturephoto1
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p.1 #11 · Making the decision - X-pro 1 or X-E1?

douglasf13 wrote:
dills84 wrote:
douglasf13 wrote:
If you use adapted glass and shoot a lot of low to mid ISO, I'd look at a Nex-6. Focus peaking is incredibly useful for manual lenses, and Bayer CFAs still look better in good light. Plus, despite the EVFs being the same, the Sony's has a higher frame rate.

As an owner of both Fuji and Nex, I can tell you that the EVF on the X100/X-Pro1 is noticeably worse than the one in the X-E1/Nex-6.

Good to know, however I'm not interested in the NEX line. I'm starting to lean towards the XE knowing the EVF is That much better... hmm!

Why?? It seems like you're trying to decide between two different model classes of Toyotas, rather than considering the same class of car from both Toyota and Honda.

At this point, I wouldn't even consider buying a digital camera for manual lenses without focus peaking. Of course, Fuji could change that with a firmware update, but until then, no way.

For myself I handled the NEX cameras and both Fuji Cameras at Photo Plus in October. I am coming from my manual focus Leica R cameras. I found the handling, size, controls, placement of everything, much more to my liking than any of the NEX cameras. The Fuji cameras to me felt like cameras, the NEX cameras not so much.

Rich

Edited on Dec 04, 2012 at 05:30 PM · View previous versions

Dec 04, 2012 at 05:22 PM

dills84
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p.1 #12 · Making the decision - X-pro 1 or X-E1?

douglasf13 wrote:
dills84 wrote:
douglasf13 wrote:
If you use adapted glass and shoot a lot of low to mid ISO, I'd look at a Nex-6. Focus peaking is incredibly useful for manual lenses, and Bayer CFAs still look better in good light. Plus, despite the EVFs being the same, the Sony's has a higher frame rate.

As an owner of both Fuji and Nex, I can tell you that the EVF on the X100/X-Pro1 is noticeably worse than the one in the X-E1/Nex-6.

Good to know, however I'm not interested in the NEX line. I'm starting to lean towards the XE knowing the EVF is That much better... hmm!

Why?? It seems like you're trying to decide between two different model classes of Toyotas, rather than considering the same class of car from both Toyota and Honda.

At this point, I wouldn't even consider buying a digital camera for manual lenses without focus peaking, especially if I was relying heavily on them. Heck, I'd pick the Ricoh GXR before the Fujis. Of course, Fuji could change that with a firmware update, but until then, no way.

I've handled some NEX cameras, I don't like the design/ergonomics or the AF lens selections. I enjoy the beauty of the Fuji retro styling... aesthetics I know... but I'm shallow like that. Fuji's sensor technology and image sharpness is important to me also. Peaking isn't a deal breaker for me as long as they offer magnification. I've shot an EM-5 with manual lenses without an issue.

But the topic at hand is me choosing either the Xpro or X-E1, not the NEX or Ricoh. Thanks for your opinion.

Dec 04, 2012 at 05:22 PM

douglasf13
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p.1 #13 · Making the decision - X-pro 1 or X-E1?

dills84 wrote:
douglasf13 wrote:
dills84 wrote:
douglasf13 wrote:
If you use adapted glass and shoot a lot of low to mid ISO, I'd look at a Nex-6. Focus peaking is incredibly useful for manual lenses, and Bayer CFAs still look better in good light. Plus, despite the EVFs being the same, the Sony's has a higher frame rate.

As an owner of both Fuji and Nex, I can tell you that the EVF on the X100/X-Pro1 is noticeably worse than the one in the X-E1/Nex-6.

Good to know, however I'm not interested in the NEX line. I'm starting to lean towards the XE knowing the EVF is That much better... hmm!

Why?? It seems like you're trying to decide between two different model classes of Toyotas, rather than considering the same class of car from both Toyota and Honda.

At this point, I wouldn't even consider buying a digital camera for manual lenses without focus peaking, especially if I was relying heavily on them. Heck, I'd pick the Ricoh GXR before the Fujis. Of course, Fuji could change that with a firmware update, but until then, no way.

I've handled some NEX cameras, I don't like the design/ergonomics or the AF lens selections. I enjoy the beauty of the Fuji retro styling... aesthetics I know... but I'm shallow like that. Fuji's sensor technology and image sharpness is important to me also. Peaking isn't a deal breaker for me as long as they offer magnification. I've shot an EM-5 with manual lenses without an issue.

But the topic at hand is me choosing either the Xpro or X-E1, not the NEX or Ricoh. Thanks for your opinion.

Ok, well, I'll leave it at this. The NEX cameras will also have better IQ for landscape, architecture and studio...essentially anything at low to mid ISO, so, even outside of the manual focusing thing, I'd still pick NEX in your situation. The Fuji X-trans cameras excel at high ISO, but not low ISO, because of the cfa design, which has chroma smoothing inherent in the design.

The beauty of this forum is that it is a mix of users of all types of cameras...some of us too many cameras

, and I'm just trying to help. If the ergonomics and looks of the Fuji are that much better to you, then I understand.

p.s. the Sony 10-18, 24 (Zeiss,) 35, 50 and Sigma 19 and 30 are all fantastic on NEX. Both NEX and Fuji have 3 new Zeiss primes coming this spring, too.

Dec 04, 2012 at 05:30 PM

dills84
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p.1 #14 · Making the decision - X-pro 1 or X-E1?

douglasf13 wrote:
dills84 wrote:
douglasf13 wrote:
dills84 wrote:
douglasf13 wrote:
If you use adapted glass and shoot a lot of low to mid ISO, I'd look at a Nex-6. Focus peaking is incredibly useful for manual lenses, and Bayer CFAs still look better in good light. Plus, despite the EVFs being the same, the Sony's has a higher frame rate.

As an owner of both Fuji and Nex, I can tell you that the EVF on the X100/X-Pro1 is noticeably worse than the one in the X-E1/Nex-6.

Good to know, however I'm not interested in the NEX line. I'm starting to lean towards the XE knowing the EVF is That much better... hmm!

Why?? It seems like you're trying to decide between two different model classes of Toyotas, rather than considering the same class of car from both Toyota and Honda.

At this point, I wouldn't even consider buying a digital camera for manual lenses without focus peaking, especially if I was relying heavily on them. Heck, I'd pick the Ricoh GXR before the Fujis. Of course, Fuji could change that with a firmware update, but until then, no way.

I've handled some NEX cameras, I don't like the design/ergonomics or the AF lens selections. I enjoy the beauty of the Fuji retro styling... aesthetics I know... but I'm shallow like that. Fuji's sensor technology and image sharpness is important to me also. Peaking isn't a deal breaker for me as long as they offer magnification. I've shot an EM-5 with manual lenses without an issue.

But the topic at hand is me choosing either the Xpro or X-E1, not the NEX or Ricoh. Thanks for your opinion.

Ok, well, I'll leave it at this. The NEX cameras will also have better IQ for landscape, architecture and studio...essentially anything at low to mid ISO, so, even outside of the manual focusing thing, I'd still pick NEX in your situation. The Fuji X-trans cameras excel at high ISO, but not low ISO, because of the cfa design, which has chroma smoothing inherent in the design.

The beauty of this forum is that it is a mix of users of all types of cameras...some of us too many cameras

, and I'm just trying to help.

p.s. the Sony 10-18, 24 (Zeiss,) 35, 50 and Sigma 19 and 30 are all fantastic on NEX. Both NEX and Fuji have 3 new Zeiss primes coming this spring, too.

I understand you like NEX cameras, Just a matter of opinion I do not. I like having physical buttons and dials and less menu diving.

I'm big on high ISO so theres another reason to go Fuji for me.

Anyways, thanks.

Dec 04, 2012 at 05:32 PM

mortyb
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p.1 #15 · Making the decision - X-pro 1 or X-E1?

I recently got the X-E1 which is my first camera with EVF. I didn't expect anything special. But I'm not impressed. It works okay, it's not bad, but it's not great either compared to a big, bright OVF. At least this is my initial impression.

Re IQ, I'm not sure I agree, Douglas. How do you define better IQ? For me, color and tonality is a big part of IQ, and from what I've seen so far, I think the Fujis' output look very nice in that regard.

Dec 04, 2012 at 05:38 PM

douglasf13
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p.1 #16 · Making the decision - X-pro 1 or X-E1?

dills84 wrote:
douglasf13 wrote:
dills84 wrote:
douglasf13 wrote:
dills84 wrote:
douglasf13 wrote:
If you use adapted glass and shoot a lot of low to mid ISO, I'd look at a Nex-6. Focus peaking is incredibly useful for manual lenses, and Bayer CFAs still look better in good light. Plus, despite the EVFs being the same, the Sony's has a higher frame rate.

As an owner of both Fuji and Nex, I can tell you that the EVF on the X100/X-Pro1 is noticeably worse than the one in the X-E1/Nex-6.

Good to know, however I'm not interested in the NEX line. I'm starting to lean towards the XE knowing the EVF is That much better... hmm!

Why?? It seems like you're trying to decide between two different model classes of Toyotas, rather than considering the same class of car from both Toyota and Honda.

At this point, I wouldn't even consider buying a digital camera for manual lenses without focus peaking, especially if I was relying heavily on them. Heck, I'd pick the Ricoh GXR before the Fujis. Of course, Fuji could change that with a firmware update, but until then, no way.

I've handled some NEX cameras, I don't like the design/ergonomics or the AF lens selections. I enjoy the beauty of the Fuji retro styling... aesthetics I know... but I'm shallow like that. Fuji's sensor technology and image sharpness is important to me also. Peaking isn't a deal breaker for me as long as they offer magnification. I've shot an EM-5 with manual lenses without an issue.

But the topic at hand is me choosing either the Xpro or X-E1, not the NEX or Ricoh. Thanks for your opinion.

Ok, well, I'll leave it at this. The NEX cameras will also have better IQ for landscape, architecture and studio...essentially anything at low to mid ISO, so, even outside of the manual focusing thing, I'd still pick NEX in your situation. The Fuji X-trans cameras excel at high ISO, but not low ISO, because of the cfa design, which has chroma smoothing inherent in the design.

The beauty of this forum is that it is a mix of users of all types of cameras...some of us too many cameras

Keep in mind that just about every dial and button on NEX cameras is customizable, so menu diving is rare. Plus, the NEX-6 has the new Quick-navi menu, compared to older NEX cameras. I shot a NEX-7 next to a Fuji X camera for a while, and the NEX-7 is a faster camera to operate. The main thing that stood out with the Fuji, outside of the retro design, is the digital distance scale on the LCD, which would be a non-issue with manual lenses.

Being big on high ISO is one the biggest reasons to choose Fuji X-trans over NEX, to me, but keep in mind that you're sacrificing low ISO for it, so you have to decide which is more important. The Fuji is still ok at low ISO, and the NEX-6 is still ok at high ISO. Each just excels at different things. The other main reason to choose Fuji, to me, is the OVF, but that's a moot point with the X-E1.

p.s. I sold all of my NEX and Fuji cameras two weeks ago, so I don't have a horse in this race. Just trying to help.

Dec 04, 2012 at 05:44 PM

douglasf13
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p.1 #17 · Making the decision - X-pro 1 or X-E1?

mortyb wrote:

Re IQ, I'm not sure I agree, Douglas. How do you define better IQ? For me, color and tonality is a big part of IQ, and from what I've seen so far, I think the Fujis' output look very nice in that regard.

Color and tonality depend largely on the raw converter that you're using. Either way, I'm talking about the lack of detail and smoothing that is inherent to the X-trans sensor. It is great for high ISO, kind of like a super smooth NR, but not so great at low ISO, compared to bayer. X-trans is just a different cfa on what is likely a Sony sensor, anyways.

Either way, there are about a million threads on this, and I don't want to drag this one too far into the subject. Sorry about that. Just trying to give the OP a fair response, since his feature requests kind of scream NEX, rather than Fuji.

Edited on Dec 04, 2012 at 05:50 PM · View previous versions

Dec 04, 2012 at 05:46 PM

dills84
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p.1 #18 · Making the decision - X-pro 1 or X-E1?

Gosh, all this NEX advertising! I'm buying either the X-E1 or X-Pro 1, thats what this threads all about! haha. Thanks for the info though.

Dec 04, 2012 at 05:46 PM

mortyb
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p.1 #19 · Making the decision - X-pro 1 or X-E1?

douglasf13 wrote:
mortyb wrote:

Re IQ, I'm not sure I agree, Douglas. How do you define better IQ? For me, color and tonality is a big part of IQ, and from what I've seen so far, I think the Fujis' output look very nice in that regard.

Color and tonality depend largely on the raw converter that you're using. Either way, I'm talking about the lack of detail and smoothing that is inherent to the X-trans sensor. It is great for high ISO, kind of like a super smooth NR, but not so great at low ISO, compared to bayer. X-trans is just a different cfa on what is likely a Sony sensor, anyways.

Either way, there are about a million threads on this, and I don't want to drag this one too far into the subject. Sorry about that. Just trying to give the OP a fair response.

Of course, but if it looks good straigt from camera or by using the native raw converter, then that's a good thing IMO. As many others, I find the Fuji jpgs to have great color and tonality. To me, that's just as important as pixel peeping the raw files. I hear you though.

Dec 04, 2012 at 05:51 PM

douglasf13
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p.1 #20 · Making the decision - X-pro 1 or X-E1?

dills84 wrote:
Gosh, all this NEX advertising! I'm buying either the X-E1 or X-Pro 1, thats what this threads all about! haha. Thanks for the info though.

Ha! I wish. For all of the cameras we all talk about around here, we should all be sponsored by several brands.

Dec 04, 2012 at 05:51 PM

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